Only 377 NagaWorld Workers Still Holding Out Against Layoffs: Union
3 min read
Tran Techseng
| Wed Jul 21, 2021 9:19 pm

In a move a labor group said was unprecedented, NagaWorld is calling on governmental labor inspectors to authorize the dismissal of a group of union leaders as part of the casino’s mass layoffs, overriding the legal protections unionists enjoy unless they have committed serious offenses, a workers’ representative said.

Phnom Penh’s sole casino operator is laying off 1,329 of its more than 8,000-strong workforce, citing economic difficulties amid Covid-19. But labor groups say the company is illegally targeting — and trying to dismantle — its once-active union.

Only 377 NagaWorld workers are still holding out against the redundancy plan and its compensation packages, as the company calls in governmental labor inspectors to authorize the dismissals of union leaders, the union said.

Chhim Sithar, president of the NagaWorld union, said the company had informed her of the request to have a labor inspector look into the case.

According to the Trade Union Law, leaders, vice leaders and secretaries of workers’ unions are protected from dismissal unless there is “authorisation from the Labour Inspector.”

Sithar said she believed dismissals of union leaders were only legal in the case of serious misconduct. The Labor Law lists among serious offenses theft, fraud, assault, incitement and political activities in the workplace.

“It shows a worsening will of the company when we see that it applies to request a labor inspector to lay off all 26 union leaders, activists and delegates who have special protection laws. So we see the company’s intention, which is that they will do anything to destroy the union,” Sithar said, adding that the law also prohibits discrimination against union activities.

She said the company likely thinks that workers will not be able to stand with the union much longer. They are struggling to earn livelihoods amid Covid-19; the casino is closed and there are few other jobs around, she said.

Just 377 of 1,329 workers are still rejecting their terminations and the thousands of dollars in compensation that comes with accepting redundancy, she said.

But she would continue to work to defend the jobs, she said. “We have the right to demand justice and protect our freedoms in the workplace too. So union representation is very important for them, no matter what the position of the company is.”

Mediated talks with the Labor Ministry have already failed, and the case is being sent to the Arbitration Council for dispute resolution.

Labor Ministry spokesperson Heng Sour said he would not comment on the union representative’s claims about protections, but said NagaWorld’s layoffs were “reasonable.”

“The Naga case, according to the dispute resolution procedure, is currently at the level of the Arbitration Council. In the context of the global economy and the revision of business operations, the law does not prohibit enterprises from laying off employees. Importantly, the layoff was reasonable. Prior notice and proper compensation have been paid,” Sour said.

The casino has cited difficult economic circumstances as the reason for the layoffs, though workers have objected that the company made over $100 million in profits last year, and is in the middle of constructing a third casino complex in Phnom Penh.

NagaWorld chief executive officer Mike Ngai could not be reached for comment.
https://vodenglish.news/only-377-nagawo ... ffs-union/

NagaCorp Records $77.2M in Losses Amid Closure, Layoff Dispute
3 min read
Danielle Keeton-Olsen
| Wed Sep 1, 2021 6:47 pm

NagaCorp, the Hong Kong-listed parent company of Phnom Penh’s exclusive-operating casino NagaWorld, reported losses for the first time since the company was publicly listed, amid the pandemic and an ongoing labor dispute with more than 300 laid-off employees.

In its six-month financial report, NagaCorp reported $77.2 million in losses in the first half of the year, which it attributed to the nearly four months of closure since the casino temporarily shuttered on March 2 following a Covid-19 outbreak at Naga 2.

According to reports from its 16 years of being listed on the Hong Kong exchange, NagaCorp’s net profit steadily increased between 2014 and 2019 — when profits peaked at $521.3 million — and the company had never reported net losses since 2004, the earliest data available.

The company earned $130 million in revenue, 85 percent of which came from gaming tables, according to the report. The full casino operation revenue for the first half of this year, reported at $129 million, was down 65 percent from casino revenue in the same period last year.

In its analysis of expenses, the company noted earnings were recovering in the first two months of the year until the closure. Since then, NagaWorld had reduced its expenses while casino and hotel operations paused for nearly four months, it said.

Among its cost-cutting measures, the company reduced its staff costs by almost 40 percent, to $39.8 million, noting that its employees were reduced from 8,371 in June 2020 to 6,958 as of the report. The company said it offered a “mutual separation option” to employees in line with Cambodian law.

The NagaWorld workers union, however, has accused the company of undercutting workers through its layoff payment calculations and of unilaterally transferring compensation to workers who rejected the termination and were still contesting the company’s decision through the Labor Ministry’s dispute resolution process.
https://vodenglish.news/nagacorp-record ... f-dispute/

I tried between booking and agoda, but at the moment NagaWorld has no availability. Does anyone know if Naga 1 and 2 are open at the moment?

Kigna wrote: ↑Sat Sep 04, 2021 4:23 pm I tried between booking and agoda, but at the moment NagaWorld has no availability. Does anyone know if Naga 1 and 2 are open at the moment?

For the decor? the cuisine? or simply because it is such a good casino??

For all.

I call NagaWorld, and the customer say me the NagaWorld Hotel 1 and 2 are closed and sHe does not know when to reopen.

I hear Sihanoukville has nice casinos as well.
Maybe not quite as good as Naga World but the same kind of style.
Have you tried Poipet? you might like that too.

Fired NagaWorld Workers Organizing a Strike Over Layoffs, Past Labor Disputes
4 min read
Danielle Keeton-Olsen
| Wed Nov 24, 2021 6:33 pm

NagaWorld workers and union leaders who have refused to accept termination are planning rallies and urging a strike next month, vowing to continue until the casino company’s management addresses their current and unsolved grievances.

Leaders of the casino’s union, who have all been laid off, released a letter on Monday warning that they would begin a peaceful protest with unionized employees and the workers who are contesting termination near the NagaWorld complex on December 18, noting they would continue to push a strike “until a solution is found” for 10 past and current demands.

Chhim Sithar, the leader of the union and a former casino floor worker, said the action — decided by a majority vote among terminated workers and the remaining unionized NagaWorld employees — will go beyond the five demands they brought to the Arbitration Council after the termination went into effect.

“We want the public to see how this company is repeating violations of labor rights,” she told VOD. “We also want to tell the company that no matter how long the case is left unsolved, we will not forget and we will keep looking for justice.”

The letter notes that 373 workers still have not accepted their termination by the company, and they will demand reemployment. The letter also notes that unionized and terminated workers want NagaWorld to recalculate the termination packages, saying it was not in line with Cambodian Labor Law, and ensure that terminated workers have the first shot at new jobs offered by the company for two years since their layoff, another Labor Law requirement.

Since NagaWorld reopened to casino-goers on September 15, the company began hiring IT technicians and in-house detectives, advertising an internal job opening to employed workers, according to company communications shared by Sithar and positions listed on NagaWorld’s website. Some of the laid-off workers were from the technician section, and their former tasks are still necessary and being covered by others, Sithar said based on her conversations with current employees.
https://vodenglish.news/fired-nagaworld ... -disputes/

Cambodia News (Phnom Penh) On the morning of December 18, 2021, many employees of NagaWorld demonstrated in protest demanding 9 conditions from the company.
The protest took place in front of NagaWorld in Tonle Bassac, Chamkarmon, Phnom Penh.

Cambodia News (Phnom Penh): On the morning of 20 December 2021, many employees of NagaWorld Casino gathered in front of the National Assembly building to make nine demands to reinstate 365 employees who were laid off because they were union members.

Workers' representatives of NagaWorld Casino have stated that about 1,300 workers have previously gone on strike in front of NagaWorld Casino to demand that the company stop discriminating against unions and reinstate the 365 employees who were laid off.
However, the police and district security came out to prevent them from gathering in front of the company, claiming that their protest would affect public order.
Workers' representatives said that after the authorities prevented them from gathering in front of NagaWorld, they gathered near the entrance of the Royal Palace, some buildings around the Korean Building, near Build Bright University and near the World Garment Casino and the National Assembly building.